Spalding residents speak of shock and terror at shooting of three people in “very quiet” part of town

Spalding residents have spoken of their shock and grief following the shooting of three people in a “quiet area” of town.

Three people including a suspected gunman have been shot dead near a swimming pool.

The horror unfolded near Castle Swimming Pool this morning, Lincolnshire Police said. No shots have been fired by officers.

A resident of nearby Pinchbeck Road, who did not want to be named, said she was “terrified” when she heard the news.

“All we know is as much as was on Twitter. We’ve not had the police round here to say keep your doors shut,” she added.

“We’ve not had anyone say there’s a danger here.

“We are hoping that, although you never want this sort of thing to happen, but we’re hoping it was a self-contained incident because we haven’t had any people round here saying there’s any danger.”

District councillor Gary Taylor, who represents Spalding Castle ward, said: “It’s terrible news and local people are very shocked. It’s a very quiet place, gun crime does not exist in this area at all. It’s shocking news.

East Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were told to approach the scene with caution and fought to save the three people who died.

A spokeswoman said: “We received a call at 9.04am reporting gunshots on Pinchbeck Lane, Spalding. Our ambulance crews and paramedic officer were sent to the emergency and told to approach with caution.

“Upon arriving at scene, our paramedics treated three patients who had gunshot wounds. Despite the best efforts of everyone at the scene the patients were pronounced dead.

“This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the friends and families of those involved.”

The air ambulance was also called to the scene.”

A force spokesman said: “We can confirm that there has been a firearms incident on Pinchbeck Road in Spalding, in the vicinity of the Castle Swimming Pool, in which three people have been fatally wounded,including the suspected offender.

“There is an ongoing police investigation and at this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

“There is no indication that this is a terrorist-related incident and no shots have been fired by police.

“We would urge members of the public to stay away from the area at the present time.”